By Sophie Richardson
Park City, Utah (The Hollywood Times) 1/28/23 – Such unique shorts were shown at this year’s Sundance Midnight Short Film Program that it’s actually hard to pick favorites. Most directors had a wonderful and fresh take on horror, it had the effect of lessening their conformity to any particular genre. I had the privilege of screening these in late January at the iconic Egyptian Theatre in Park City, and among other positives to the screening time was the fact that parking wasn’t difficult to find.
The icy cold, and the deep night, combined to create a bewitchingly perfect setting to view horror shorts, and this won’t be the last time I attend the truly fun event. Overall, very fun and memorable selection punctuated by world-class filmmakers and creepy moments. One stood out for me.
If I had a choice to examine one in detail again, I would settle on the harsh Norwegian Sápmi-based “Unborn Biru”. Near and dear to my heart for cultural reasons and making its world premiere at the festival, it’s summarized best as harrowing, centered around heirloom silver stolen by an impoverished and single mother in an attempt to stay fed and survive in the Arctic. The shocking folk tale is directed by Ingá Elin Marakatt.
“A pregnant widow steals silver from a dead body in order to survive and feed her daughter,” the film’s official chilling synopsis reads. “But the silver is cursed and has consequences for all of them, including the unborn. Cast members included Maret Sofia Jannok, and Katja Omma Simma.
Secondly, “A folded ocean” by new director Ben Brewer; exploring an affectionate couple ‘getting lost’ in each other in a very uncomfortable and literal way. And last but not least “Power surge”, a tale of food delivery drivers discovering supernatural town evils.
Presented by Oscar Boyson, a producer of “Uncut Gems” and “Frances Ha”) this short can trigger seizures, so viewer discretion is advised. “Claudio’s Song” gets honorable mention for having a delightfully strange and hilarious mood that cannot be explained – maybe the director Andreas Nilsson’s introduction video might give insight to their truly bizarre style.
